Internet Relay Chat Norway - IRCNO

Version: 1.02-011
Document: IRCNO-LJ 20-05-96 16:10:49
Email: ircno@math.uio.no

IRCNO in English.

This document is only a brief presentation of IRCNO, for a full presentation of one of the topics covered here, contact IRCNO.

Introduction

The purpose of IRCNO is to make IRC in Norway as effective as possible. To achieve this, it has to separate components, an administrative and a technical.

The administrative component enforces compliance with the IRC rules in Norway. The purpose of the rules is not to make operators net-police, but action must nonetheless be taken when rules are not complied with. Furthermore, we create national statistics on servers and users connection time. (This info is however only available to the operators, and users asking for it.)

We also document IRC in Norway, and keep information files updated. Finally, we give heavy user-support. All documentation, information files, and user-support files are in the Norwegian language. The technical component consist mainly of ensuring the proper and reliable functioning of Norwegian servers and links, so that IRC in Norway is compatible with the rest of the EBIC IRC Net.

IRCNO also has its own email address for any inquiries: ircno@math.uio.no

IRCNO has official support from the Norwegian academic network provider -- UNINETT.


IRCNO voting

From time to time it will be necessary to vote on certain cases. Unless nothing is stated the following is what we use:


IRCNO's rules

IRCNO has rules for servers, admins, operators and users.
  1. To change the server or admin rules there must be a 100% agreement among all admins. This is to ensure that no-one will break out. It is a must that all must show diplomatic sides and be prepared to give and take.
  2. To change the operator rules it must a 2/3 pro-votes among the admins. Operators can give their opinions, but they are not allowed to vote. Any addendums should be discussed among the admins.
  3. To change the user-rules there must be agreement between more than 50% of admins and opers.


IRCNO tasks

Here is a list that defines IRCNO's tasks.
  1. Take care of the Norwegian IRC servers. That is linking the servers like the physical network, and ensure that servers are running on decent hardware.
  2. Enforce the rules for IRC use in Norway. This must be done without being a "cop". Actions should only be taken if someone tell a oper about the fraud or a oper finds out without looking for it. Anyway, the Brain Must Be Used in all cases.
  3. Be responsible toward UNINETT. All Norwegian irc-clients should use Norwegian servers. ONE person is responsible for IRC in Norway. IRC is at present an official service under UNINETT. It is not yet a UNINETT service, but UNINETT gives IRCNO 100% support. IRCNO must also change their ethics-guidelines to match the revised UNINETT ethics.
  4. Make statistics. This published without individual information on given places (no.irc on usenet). Individuals may get information on their irc-use.
  5. Document IRC in Norway. There are several documents. Both technical and documents that will easy the use of IRC for starters. These docs shall be present on FTP, FSP and a file-bot on IRC.
  6. User support.


Rules of IRC use in Norway

We have 3 kinds of rules, user/bot, operator and server-admin. Here is a short translation of the rules. For a in-depth explanation, fetch the Norwegian version and ask a Norwegian to translate what you want. Dispensation from some of the bot-rules may be given under certain circumstances.


OPERATOR RULES

The operators are NOT cops, they are to ensure that the irc-links works as defined. Simply a janitor with a broom. To us that is the NORWEGIAN part of the net. We seldom mess with other international links.

As a oper our task is to keep an eye on Norwegian servers, primary the server YOU have operator status on.

Main rule: A operator shall never use his privileges to gain information that a user can not gain.

  1. SQUIT/CONNECT
  2. KILL
  3. TRACE

Every documented violation on these rules may make your oper privileges go away on a permanent basis.

An operator may appeal by the following way: Every irc-operators in Norway via the mailing list "op-no". The case, with logs and explanations must be mailed to the list. Everyone except the irc- admin to the give operator has one vote, the irc-admin has two if the voting becomes equal. Foreign irc-admins/ops has nothing to say in a given disciplinary case.


SERVER RULES

Following is the EBIC-Rules concerning linking. For domestic linking we have our own rules.

  1. To get a server connect to the Norwegian IRC-net:
  2. New server connections should be discussed among the existing oper/admins.
  3. Any link should follow the physical net-topology.
  4. A server that is not close to a regional UNINETT net center should not function as a HUB server.
  5. Every server in Norway takes part in the national user-statistic.
  6. If host-masking is to be used, every server behind a mask must be able to connect to the up-host.


ADMIN RULES

  1. An irc-admin must be available by email, unless he/she notifies IRCNO about any longer planned absence.
  2. A server-admin's duty is to have his/her server perform well for the end-users and other servers on the irc-net.
  3. An irc-admin must upgrade his/her server and tune it according to something suitable as soon as a server-release is known to be relatively stable.
  4. An irc-admin that is not following these rules can loose his/her links if 100% of IRCNO agrees.


Persons in IRCNO

We do not have any leader or jobs, but we do perform certain tasks. Every decision is taken by discussion and voting. We do not have any problem with this, and no nasty disagreements occur. This we believe is because of our Norwegian Nature :-) Who is Who is documented in the file called irc-no. Norwegian titles in parenthesis.


Other stuff

For a list of servers and their associated persons, see the file irc-no under "servers in IRCNO".

This document WAS proof-read by Espen Anneling (anneling@uiowa.edu) It was later hacked by the IRCNO secretary, thus any spelling is his fault, and the secondary proofer Nicolai Langfeldt (janl@ifi.uio.no).


Formatted for WWW by Bjørn Borud (Bjorn.Borud@alkymi.unit.no) , mars 1994